In my opinion, Alton Towers is a fantastic and well rounded out theme park. Unlike it's sister parks such as Thorpe Park or Chessington, there really is something for everyone here. The Towers are well known for their thrill rides (such as Nemesis and Oblivion), but they have a great family selection as well, including the The Flume and Spinball Whizzer.
There are a few things you need to know before you visit the park though. Firstly, remember to bring £5 with you to pay for your parking fee. There are pay machines in the main entrance and the entrance to the monorail, which will give you a token to use on the machines on the way out. Personally, I feel this fee is amazingly steep, especially when places like Thorpe Park will let you park for free! Also, if you are visiting with anyone who is disabled, you will need to visit the guest services building to recieve your wristbands that entitle you to queue in the special 'disabled' lines (usually wheelchair only access points, or the ride exit). If you are disabled though, remember that the limit for 'helpers' is about 3, anything over that and they may not issue everyone the wristbands.
And now for the rides themselves!
Spinball Whizzer - Possibly the first ride you will see when you enter the park, but don't jump on straight away! Because it's so close to the entrance, everyone jumps in the
queue and the queue time builds up to an hour and beyond incredibly quickly. The best time is the middle of the day, when everyone's busy on the main thrill rides. The ride itself is a great little coaster. The cars seat 4 people and spin around as they go around the track, which is a lot of fun. It might scare kids of a nervous disposition though.
Oblivion - This ride looks terrifying if you stand and watch the cars dive into the black hole in the ground, but it's bark is much worse than it's bite. There's rarely a large queue for this one, so give it a go! The adrenaline rush when you emerge at the end is fantastic. My only criticism would be that it's too short!
Nemesis - Possibly my favourite ride at the park. It's getting on a bit, but it's still amazing. Nemesis is an inverted coaster (meaning your legs dangle from the car), and is built into a large pit in the ground, meaning that you often feel you'll be dashed into the rocks on your way around! The best seats are at the front and back, front for the incredible view and back for the speed! A must ride.
Air - A good coaster, but really not worth the huge queues that gather for it! Air is quite unique in that you climb into your inverted seats (like Nemesis) normally, but then you're strapped in and then hung horiziontally to the track, to create the illusion that you're flying. It's a great experience, and everyone should give it a go, but hardcore thrill seekers may leave feeling that they want more.
Rita: Queen of Speed - This is another ride that hauls in huge queues throughout the day. Rita is a launched coaster, that sends you off from 0 to 100kph in 2.5 seconds, but honestly doesn't do much else. Once you've experienced the launch, there isn't that much else to this ride. And honestly, the Aerosmith ride at the Disney parks does it better.
The Flume: Unplugged - This updated version of the classic log flume is heavily sponsored by Imperial Leather, and features bathtub boats and rubber ducks all around. A good ride for all the family, with a good drop at the end, but there's a lot of meandering about in your boat that spoils it a bit.
Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! - Anyone who visited the Towers before 2002/3 will remember this ride as the Haunted House. Since then, the ride's been given a facelift of sorts, and the riders have been given laser guns! Your mission is to survive the haunted house by shooting at anything that attacks you, It's a great idea, and a good laugh if you have some mates with you, but the whole 'laser gun battle' thing feels as if it's been tacked on. There are LEDs everywhere that can spoil the 'spookiness' of the ride in places. It's not really a deal breaker, though. Also, this ride can still be very scary for little ones.
Battle Galleons - This ride lives in the excellent, in my opinion, land of Mutiny Bay. All riders jump onto their own Galleon (10 to a boat), and use the water cannons provided to soak other riders and anyone daft enough to be standing too close to the ride! It's a great idea, the only problem is that our British climate really just doesn't allow for it. Who wantsto get soaked when it's cold? On the upside though, it means the queue's always short.
I won't review every single ride, because I'd be here all day and you'd be better off discovering some of it for yourselves. It sounds like I've been a bit down on some of the rides here, but honestly, there just isn't a proper dud amongst them. Alton Towers really does, I feel, offer quality rides and entertainment (I didn't even mention the shows or the Sea Life Cente, did I?). Well worth a visit!
And now for the prices: (taken from www.towerstimes.co.uk)
Adult: £36 Child (4-11) £27 Child (under 4): Free
There's also a season pass priced at £75, which may be worth getting if you plan to visit more than once in a year. You receive unlimited access to the park for that year, plus 20% discount on all goods in the park, including food (but not concessions like Burger King), merchandise, and even on hotel bookings and waterpark tickets! I have a pass and I've found it really useful.
Thanks for reading!
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